Professor and Graduate Program Director, Department of Dental Hygiene, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, USA.
Research Analyst, Education, Health Policy Institute, American Dental Association, Chicago, IL, USA.
J Dent Hyg. 2021 Feb;95(1):17-24.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to drops in patient volume and staffing in dental practices in the United States (US). This study aimed to provide insights on dental hygienists' employment patterns as well as their attitudes toward working as dental hygienists during a pandemic. Licensed dental hygienists were invited to participate in a web-based 30-question survey between September 29 and October 8, 2020. Employment questions included current and pre-pandemic work status, reasons for not currently working as a dental hygienist, and estimated levels of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the primary work location. All statistical analysis was conducted in Qualtrics Core XM; cross tabulation was used to examine dental hygienist working patterns and attitudes by age, practice PPE supply, and other factors. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an estimated 8% reduction in dental hygienist employment. The majority (59.1%, n=205) of this reduction is voluntary, with the main reason being general concerns over COVID-19 (48.3%, n=100). Other reasons include issues surrounding childcare and concerns over safety measures in the workplace. Dental hygienists aged 65 and older were most likely to have left the workforce voluntarily. More than half of respondents reported that their work locations had more than a two-week supply of most PPE items, although about 10% did not know supply levels. Dental hygienists working in settings with lower supplies of PPE were more concerned with COVID-19 transmission risk to themselves or to patients. COVID-19 has led to a reduction in the dental hygienist workforce that is likely to persist until the pandemic passes.The dental hygienist labor market has tightened and employers may continue to experience difficulties in filling vacant dental hygienist positions until the pandemic subsides. There is also likely to be a longer term, yet smaller, impact on dental hygiene employment levels.
新冠疫情导致美国（美国）牙科诊所的患者数量和员工人数下降。本研究旨在深入了解牙科保健员的就业模式，以及他们在大流行期间作为牙科保健员工作的态度。 2020 年 9 月 29 日至 10 月 8 日，邀请持照牙科保健员参加基于网络的 30 个问题调查。就业问题包括当前和大流行前的工作状况，目前不从事牙科保健员工作的原因，以及主要工作地点个人防护设备（PPE）的估计水平。所有统计分析均在 Qualtrics Core XM 中进行；交叉表用于根据年龄，实践 PPE 供应和其他因素检查牙科保健员的工作模式和态度。新冠疫情导致牙科保健员的就业人数估计减少了 8％。这种减少的主要原因是对 COVID-19 的普遍关注（48.3％，n=100），其中大部分（59.1％，n=205）是自愿的。其他原因包括儿童保育问题和对工作场所安全措施的关注。年龄在 65 岁及以上的牙科保健员最有可能自愿离开劳动力市场。超过一半的受访者报告说，他们的工作地点拥有大多数 PPE 物品的两周以上供应，但约有 10％不知道供应水平。在 PPE 供应较低的环境中工作的牙科保健员更担心自己或患者的 COVID-19传播风险。新冠疫情导致牙科保健员劳动力减少，这种情况可能会持续到疫情结束。牙科保健员劳动力市场已经紧缩，雇主在大流行缓解之前可能会继续难以填补空缺的牙科保健员职位。而且，牙科保健员就业水平可能会受到更长期，更小的影响。
